Order of the Six Paths
by Halomaniac117
Summary: Naruto's life is perfect. The war is over, Tsunade named him her successor, and Hinata is his girlfriend. But when he is given a mission to find a missing ANBU squad, he and his team discover something unimaginably evil. Now Naruto, Hinata, and Sakura must prevent this corruption from spreading. Slight Lemon warning. Please review.
1. Chapter 1

The Fourth Great Shinobi War was over and everyone enjoyed a new era of peace. The villagers of Konohagakure were enjoying it the most, especially Naruto. Since becoming the Hero of the Ninja world, his life was going great. He was given the rank of Jounin and Tsunade named him her successor. But what he was really glad about was he finally got to talk to Hinata.

He asked her if she really meant what she said, and to his joy she said that she meant every word. They soon started dating and have been for the past four months. She told him that she doesn't care if he's a Jinjuriki, she would always love him. Now, nobody has seen the two of them apart.

The young couple were at Ichiraku's eating and enjoying one another's company.

"Keep the ramen coming, old man!" Naruto practically yelled. Hinata giggled at her boyfriend's small outburst.

"Ha Ha! Another bowl coming right up." Teuchi announced before getting more ramen ready.

"Man, I'm in love with this new recipe you came up with Teuchi."

"Oh, Naruto don't say that, you might hurt Hinata's feelings." Ayame teased him.

Hinata blushed, but suddenly felt Naruto's arm around her waist.

"Please Ayame. I love ramen, but its nothing compared to how much I love Hinata." He said, placing a quick kiss on her cheek. Hinata blushed again and giggled.

"Oh, Naruto." She said as she returned the kiss and leaned into his shoulder. It was then they heard someone call out their names.

"Hey Naruto! Hinata!" They turned to see Sakura walk in.

"Oh, hey Sakura. What's up?" Naruto asked before he went to eat his fifth bowl of ramen.

"Lady Tsunade asked me to find you two. She has a mission for us." The pink haired Kunoichi explained.

Naruto stopped eating and spoke. "A mission. Well about time I say." He said before going back to his ramen. Sakura shook her head.

"Naruto, you just ended a war and saved the world. I thought even you would complain about a mission right now." she said with a smile.

Naruto finished off his bowl and grinned at her. "Me? Complain about a mission? Come on Sakura, you know that's not what I do." Sakura laughed.

"Yeah Naruto, I know."

"Did she say anything about what our mission is about?" Hinata asked. Sakura shook her head.

"Nope. She just told me to look for you guys. She said that she would tell us when we get there." she said.

Naruto and Hinata then stood up. "Well, best not keep Grandma Tsunade waiting." He said with his fox like grin on his face. Sakura only sighed.

"Naruto are you ever going to stop calling her that?" She asked.

"Nope."

* * *

Tsunade looked out the window of her office with a concerned look on her face. The report she had received was disturbing, but she needed to find out what happened. Normally she would send a more experienced squad, but she had confidence in who she had selected. It was then she heard a knock on her door.

"Come in." She said.

"Hey Grandma Tsunade. Hear you got a mission for us." Naruto said with a smirk. Tsunade smiled. She wouldn't admit it, but she really needed a laugh from Naruto.

She sat down and returned to her serious persona. "Yes, I do." She then began to pull some papers out of a file.

"A few days ago, we lost contact with an ANBU squad that was on a mission to escort a dignitary back to the Land of Lightning. At first we thought they just couldn't send a message but earlier today a messenger bird was found dead with a piece of paper tied to it's leg. All it had written on it were some coordinates." Tsunade explained and handed a picture of the note to them.

"So our mission is to find the squad or find out what happened to them?" Hinata said. Tsunade nodded.

"Yes, but there's more." She then pulled out a map of the Land of Fire. "We looked where the coordinates specified but the thing is, there is absolutely nothing there." This surprised the three ninjas.

"Nothing there? You mean that these coordinates point to the middle of nowhere?" Naruto asked.

"Exactly right. Your mission is to either find the squad or what happened to them. This is an A-Rank mission, so please be careful." She said.

Naruto made a thumbs up and grinned. "Don't worry Granny. We'll be safe." Tsunade smiled.

"That's good to hear, because you will be the lead ninja on this mission." Naruto's expression was one of shock.

"Me?"

Tsunade looked up at him. "Yes, you Naruto. You are a Jounin now, and I want to see how well you lead a mission. Is there a problem?" She asked him. She was surprised when she didn't get an answer from him. Silence wasn't something Naruto was best known for.

"Well...its just...when you made me a Jounin, I was ecstatic and couldn't wait for my first Jounin rank mission. But now that I got one, and one were I'm leading...well...I'm nervous. I've never lead a mission before, and I'm so use to taking orders not giving them." He rubbed the back of his neck.

Hinata wrapped her arms around his free arm. "Naruto, I know you can do this, we all know you can do this. When I became a Chunin, I knew that it meant more dangerous missions and more responsibilities. But, I learned and became stronger and more confident in my abilities. Your dream is to be Hokage, but to do that, you need to be a strong leader. You can do this, Naruto. I know you can." When she looked at his face, all she saw was a big smile on his face.

"Thanks, Hinata. Your right, I can't let doubt keep me from my goals." He said. She smiled.

"Nicely said Hinata. So, Naruto no problems leading a mission?" Tsunade asked.

"Believe it!" He said. The four of them laughed.

* * *

Naruto laid in his bed of his new estate. He had moved out of his old apartment and into the Namikaze estate. He was glad that he could live in his rightful home, but something made him miss his old apartment, but not much. Not only did he get the estate, but he also got all his parent's old stuff. His favorite of which were his dad's old kunai. He had been using them more now and practicing some of his Jutsus.

As he fell deeper into sleep, his thoughts drifted to the mission tomorrow, and how this would prove that he was a good leader.

* * *

Sakura and Hinata waited at the front gate of the village. Naruto wasn't late, he was just really slow in the mornings.

"Naruto better get here soon, it wouldn't be a good first impression if he's late for his first lead mission." Sakura said annoyed.

"He'll be here. He's just not a morning person." Hinata reassured her friend.

"Yeah, I know. So anyway, how are things going between you two?" Sakura asked as she took a seat on a bench.

"We're doing well, Father hasn't been a problem really, its Neji and Hanabi that are the problem." She said with a sigh.

"Let me guess, Neji is being overprotective and Hanabi is spying on your dates?" Sakura said. Hinata sighed again.

"Pretty much, I told Neji not to worry and I told Hanabi that I would tell Father about her sneaking out at night to see Konohamaru." She said with an almost evil grin.

Sakura laughed. "No way? Never thought I'd hear that you were using blackmail." Hinata giggled.

"Looks can be deceiving." She replied.

"Well, now that that's all out of the way time for the serious stuff." Sakura said in a mischievous tone.

Hinata turned her head to the ground and blushed a deep crimson. "W-W-What do you mean?" She asked. In reality, she knew what Sakura meant, but her's and Naruto's sex lives were something she hated to talk about.

"Yeah Sakura, what do you mean?"

Sakura jumped up in surprise when she saw Naruto standing behind her and Hinata.

"N-Naruto?! When did you get here?!" She said. Naruto grinned.

"Oh, about a minute ago. Good morning beautiful." He said before kissing Hinata on the lips.

"Good morning Naruto. How are you doing today?" Hinata asked him after they parted.

"I'm good, no nervousness at all." He said.

Sakura had regained her composer. Looking over at him she suddenly thought of something. "Hey Naruto, I just realized. This is the first time anyone has seen you in your Jounin vest." She told him. Naruto looked at her, then at himself.

He was dressed in his signature orange and black outfit, over his jacket was his new Jounin vest and his sage coat over that. He grinned realizing she was right.

"Oh yeah. Well best to wear it on my first mission as a Jounin." He said. Picking up their backpacks they walked to the main gate and headed out.

"Well guys let's get going."


	2. Chapter 2

The three ninjas jumped from tree to tree on their way to their objective. They had been traveling for only a few hours but it would take at least a day or two to reach the coordinates specified. The silence was making them uneasy, so Naruto decided to speak up.

"So guys, what do you think happened to the squad?" He asked.

"Naruto we don't know if anything did happen to them." Sakura said from behind.

"I know, but I want to know what we might run into if something did happen. So, thoughts."

"I'm betting it's just bad weather. But, the only thing that could take out an ANBU squad would be some rouge ninja. Probably A or S-rank."

"Makes sense, the Akatsuki were all S-rank, so an ANBU squad wouldn't be a challenge for someone like that. What about you Hinata?" Naruto said.

"I agree with Sakura. Bad weather seem like the most logical possibility." She told him.

"Well we won't know until we get there. But if it is rogue-nin, then I want you guys to be on guard at all times." He told them. Hinata and Sakura both nodded and the three picked up the pace.

* * *

The sun had just started to set when Naruto decided to stop and make camp. As Sakura and Hinata set up the tent, Naruto went to grab some firewood. After he came back and got a fire started, they made dinner and relaxed.

"Its really cold tonight isn't it." Hinata said. Naruto smiled.

"Here take my coat." he said as he placed his sage coat over her shoulders. He then sat down next to her and put an arm over her shoulders. They snuggled together and looked at the fire.

Sakura looked at them and smiled. She was glad that they were finally together. Everyone except Naruto knew that Hinata had a crush on him, and Naruto deserved to have this kind of love in his life. Her smile soon faded though. She was happy for them, but at the same time she was jealous of them. Looking into the fire, her thoughts started to drift.

'Sasuke.'

* * *

Sasuke Uchiha stood over a cliff and stared at the full moon, thinking of all that had happened since the war ended. How he chose to protect the village, how he helped defeat the Ten-Tails, and how the village refused to accept him back. But these dark thoughts were interrupted as something pulled at his heart. He felt as if a feeling he hadn't experienced in a long time had just resurfaced, and for some reason he liked it. Placing a hand over his heart, he looked out over the cliff.

"Sakura."

* * *

The sun had just started to rise over the hills when Naruto, Hinata, and Sakura had awakened and continued their mission. They figured that at the pace they were going, they would reach the coordinates in a few hours. They were eager to find out what happened to the squad and head back to the village. But at the moment, they were busy trying to navigate through the forest but it only got denser the further they got.

After a few hours, they were on the ground and continued on foot. They were almost at their objective, they only needed to get out of the forest. What was strange was the sky had gotten darker and the clouds began to turn a sickly green and black color. The bark on the trees started to look rotten and dead, and the smell of sickness was present in the air.

"Okay, according to the map and the coordinates on the note, it should be pass these trees." Naruto said. As they continued to make their way out of the forest, Naruto was momentarily pulled into his mind.

_**"Naruto."**_

"What's up Kurama?" He asked the Nine-tailed Fox.

_**"Something feels wrong about this place. It smells of corruption and suffering."** _The fox told him. This started to concern Naruto.

"What do you mean? Do you have any idea what it might be?"

_**"No, it just feels wrong. Stay on guard, there is something evil ahead."**_

With that, Naruto returned to the real world. Sakura and Hinata were surprised when he suddenly stopped.

"Naruto, why did we stop?" Sakura asked.

"Kurama just spoke to me. He says that he sensed something evil up ahead." he told them. Sakura looked at him with confusion.

"Who's Kurama?"

"Oh right, that's Nine-tail's real name."

"Oh. Well if he's sensing something evil, then we really need to be careful." She said. Naruto nodded and turned back to the trees and pushed through the last of the branches. What they saw shocked them.

Resting in an open valley lay a small village covered in a green and black fog, the clouds mixed together like a whirlpool directly over the village. The three ninja stood there dumbfounded.

"I don't get it. Lady Tsunade said that there was nothing here. How is it nobody knew about this village?" Sakura said.

"I don't know Sakura, but we need to check it out. For all we know, the ANBU squad is hold up there." He said.

Sakura nodded. "Right."

"Okay, Hinata can you take a look?" He asked. Nodding she made a hand sign and activated her bloodline.

"Byakugan!" She started to scan the village, looking for anyone at all, but she saw none.

"I don't see anyone, the whole village looks deserted." She said before deactivating her Byakugan.

"Alright, let's head down and take a closer look, but be ready."

* * *

As they walked through the village, the sense of evil could be felt. They looked around and took in the sight of the village. All the buildings were falling apart and the wood was rotten. The fog that covered the village was so thick that none of them could see their feet. But what was truly strange were that the buildings were covered in some type of black sludge with green fumes leaking out.

"Kurama was right. This place is really messed up." Naruto said. He pulled out a kunai and took a defensive stance. Sakura and Hinata did the same and they continued until they had reached the center of the village. It was then Naruto heard Hinata gasp.

"Hinata? What is it? What's wrong?" He asked her. She said nothing but pointed. Both Naruto's and Sakura's eyes widened at what they saw.

Before them lay a number of bodies, covered in black sludge. As they moved closer, they recognized the uniforms that they wore. It was the missing ANBU squad. Sakura rushed over and started checking the bodies for a pulse. Naruto walked over to her and fell to a knee.

"Anything?" He asked. Sakura said nothing, she just shook her head. Naruto sighed, they had found the squad but now they needed to find out who or what killed them. He then heard Hinata call them.

"Um...Guys." She said. They rushed over to her and looked a what she was looking at.

They saw that the fog had start to recede and revealed a dark figure sitting in the middle of the bodies.

"What in the world?"


	3. Chapter 3

As the dark figure began to come into view, the three leaf ninja started to get a better look at him. The strange figure wore a suit of Samurai armor that was as black as night. No skin was visible and green mist was being released from the cracks in the armor. They saw that hundreds of arrows were lodged in the armor along with a number of swords. The blades that were coming out of the figure's back formed what looked like a cape. But what was truly frightening was the sword the figure wielded.

The katana was chipped and dull with patches of rust covering the blade, its color looked like a cross between gold and bronze. The same black substance covered the blade making it look like it had veins. The figure's left hand was encased in the strange webbing, almost as if the blade was part of it's body.

The three of them started to back away when the figure rose into the air and softly landed on it's feet.

_"Yori ōku no tamashī ga watashi no domein o nyūryoku shimasu. Yoi, watakushiha yori ōku no denryoku no tame ni kūfuku."_ The samurai said in a dark and demonic voice. The very sound of it's voice sent a shiver down Naruto's spine.

"I...I'm sorry...I don't understand what your saying." He said, hoping that this thing wasn't in a fighting mood. The samurai then lifted it's head revealing a skull with two tusk like teeth on it's top and bottom jaws, the strange green mist seeped out of it's empty eye sockets. It then lifted it's sword into the air and the black and green mist swirled and surrounded the blade coating it in its sickly haze.

Naruto, Hinata, and Sakura quickly pulled out shuriken and kunai anticipating a fight.

"Don't attack unless this guy attacks first. Sakura, stay out of range and attack him from behind. Hinata when he's distracted, hit his chakra points and I'll finish him off with a Rasengan." He told them. At first the two Kunoichi were taken back by his clever planning but snapped out of it when they saw the samurai charge at them.

"Move!" Naruto ordered as they all jumped away from the attack. Sakura jumped behind the samurai and threw her shuriken and kunai at the samurai but they did nothing but give away her position, the figure turned and charged at her, slashing it's sword at her from all directions but she was to fast.

Hinata saw an opportunity to attack and rusher out of cover straight at the samurai.

"Byakugan." Hinata ran at their foe and channeled her chakra into her palms.

"Gentle Step: Twin Lion Fists!" She shouted as she reached her target. The samurai spun around and was hit in the chest by two lion-shaped heads of chakra that sent it flying into one of the nearby buildings.

"Thanks Hinata. I didn't know if I could've kept dodging much longer." Sakura said as she caught her breath.

Hinata was about to respond when the samurai burst out of a pile of debris. Hinata was about to prepare another attack when she gasped.

"Hinata? What is it?" Sakura asked.

"This...thing...I can't see it's chakra network." She said. Sakura went wide-eyed.

"You can't see it's chakra network?! But how is that even possible?!" Sakura said. She could think of no reason as to why Hinata's Byakugan wasn't working.

Before either of them could say something, they saw the samurai open it's mouth and release a cloud of black and green gas at them. They didn't have enough time to get out of the as the huge gas ball got closer. It was then they heard a familiar voice.

"Wind Style: Blade Vortex Jutsu!" Suddenly a huge blast of wind hit the strange cloud and started to rip it apart.

"Naruto!" Both Hinata and Sakura yelled.

"You were expecting someone else. Are you guys alright?" He asked as he landed in front of them.

"We're fine, but I don't know if your wind techniques will work. I can't make out this thing's chakra network." Hinata explained.

Naruto smirked. "Well then, looks like we do this the old fashion way." He said before making four shadow clones of himself. The clones then jumped and ran at the samurai in all directions. The samurai started to slash at the clones making them disappear in a puff of smoke. What the samurai didn't see was the original Naruto jumping at him with a Rasengan in his palm. The samurai gripped it's sword in both hands and slashed downwards right as Naruto got within striking distance. The blade and the Rasengan collided and were locked in a battle. But the samurai's blade was the stronger of the two as it cut through the Rasengan and made contact with Naruto's chest.

"AAAAAHHHHH." Naruto screamed in pain as the resulting explosion blew him backwards. He landed in front of Hinata and Sakura who rushed to his side.

"NARUTO!" they screamed. When they got to him, Sakura tore open his vest and jacket revealing a massive cut on his chest, she ripped his shirt off only to her's and Hinata's shock to see the same black sludge that covered the dead ANBU covering the wound. The two were so focused on Naruto that they didn't see the samurai approaching.

They finally turned around, only to see the samurai lifting his sword in the air.

_"Anata no tamashī wa watashi no monodesu!"_ It said before slashing it's sword down at them. Time began to slow as the two kunoichi looked in horror as the blade got closer. Filled with fear they closed their eyes.

*CLING* The sound of metal hitting metal caused them to open their eyes, only for them to widen in surprise at the sight before them.


	4. Chapter 4

Before them stood a new figure clad in white samurai armor. The man's white coat looked like a sleeveless version of Naruto's, only it had a black stitched version of the kanji symbol of heaven on the back. The man wore no helm reveling his face. His face looked like the first Hokage's, and his eyes were amber gold and he had black shoulder length hair. The two kunoichi were awestruck upon seeing the pair of elegant katanas the man held.

The blades handles were wrapped in black and gold cloths and the hand guards were carved to look like two dragons chasing one another. The man had the blades crossed like an X, blocking the other samurai's blade. Sakura saw that the man's hands were bleeding and ran down the handles falling to the ground. He turned his head slightly and looked at the three of them before turning back.

_"Dakara, anata wa yōyaku sugata o miseru koto ni shimashita. Shikashi, anata ga kōhan ni arimasu. Mōsugu, ano shōnen no tamashī wa, chōdo sono zen no ōku no yō ni, kōzan ni narimasu." _The samurai in black armor said. The man turned his head again and looked at Naruto. Turning back he finally spoke.

"Watashi wa mada iki ga arimasenga." He said before he used the force of the other samurai's attack to throw the evil blade to the side. The man then spun around and kicked the demonic samurai in the chest, sending it flying into a building at an incredible speed.

Sakura and Hinata were speechless. 'What power. Not even Lady Tsunade has that kind of strength.' Sakura thought. They were brought back to the real world when they heard Naruto groan in pain.

"Hinata, quick help me move Naruto to a safe distance." She instructed as she grabbed one of his arms. Hinata grabbed his other arm and began to drag him away from the fight.

While this was happening though, things in Naruto's mind were getting bad.

* * *

Naruto and Kurama jumped out of the way of another attack. They didn't know what the hell they were fighting. Naruto was in his bijū form and he and Kurama were fighting some creature made out of the black sludge he saw earlier. The creature had multiple tentacles that were dripping with the black sludge. When the sludge hit the ground, it began to weave its way into the floor and fill any and all cracks it found.

"Damn it, what the fuck is this thing?!" Naruto shouted as he cut off another tentacle. Kurama made a wall of fire but it wasn't stopping the creature, only momentarily slowing it down.

**"Your guess is as good as mine. What ever this creature is, it's giving off the same aura I sensed a few moments ago." **Kurama said to his friend.

"What do you mean? Have you ever encountered something like this before?" Naruto asked.

**"No, never before have I faced something like this. Its as if this thing is evil given physical form." **The tailed beast said.

"Well shit, we have to think of something quick or else we...AAAAAHHHHH!" Naruto suddenly fell to his knees, clutching his heart in pain.

**"Naruto!" **Kurama shouted as he ran to his vessel. But he too feel to the ground in pain. For the first time in his life, Kurama felt fear and unimaginable pain. Slowly, the pain began to fade as the two got to their feet.

"What...What the hell just happened to us?" Naruto said, the pain making it hard to talk.

**"I don't...know. I...I've never felt pain like that before, even when I was under Madara's control. It felt as if our life force was being siphoned away." **Kurama replied. It was then they saw that the creature was changing again.

A large tentacle burst out of the creature's body, longer then the others. To both their shock the top of the tentacle burst open. Three flaps opened up to revile a giant eyeball. Two almost skeleton like arms came out of the sides, each hand had four fingers and the arms were also covered in the strange black sludge.

**"O**h **F**u**c**k**.**"

* * *

The man spun his katanas in his hands right as the other samurai burst from the destroyed building. The man pulled out some small round balls from a pouch and threw them to the ground, making a huge cloud of smoke. He then ran out of the cloud straight at the other samurai. The two slashed their blades at each other all the while blocking each strike the other made.

The black samurai kicked the man in his stomach and stabbed him in the chest. But the man's body suddenly turned into a explosion of blood. The samurai pulled his blade out as the large amount of blood flew through the air and back to the original. The man leaped off the roof he was on and landed in front of the black samurai. The black samurai thrust it's blade at the it's enemy but missed. The man did a back-flip landing on the blade. Doing another back-flip, the man kicked the demon in the face, causing it to stumble backwards.

The demon charged at the man, it's sword raised high in the air. The man quickly sheathed his swords and began to form hand signs.

* * *

Sakura and Hinata watched the battle, amazed at the strange man's skills. It was then they saw the man preforming hand signs at an alarming speed. The man ducked under the demon warrior's sword and held out his palm and placing his other hand on his wrist.

"Chaos style: Elemental Fury Jutsu!" The man shouted. Five small orbs appeared on his palm.

Both of them couldn't believe what they saw. The five orbs began to glowed bright as all five elemental chakras formed in his hand. Suddenly a huge flash of light appeared as the demon samurai was hit with all five of the elemental chakras. The two girls shielded their eyes from the light. When the light was gone they looked to see that the demon samurai was struggling to stand and the man had his blades out. The demon stared at the man and spoke.

_"Anata wa bakadesu. Anata wa anata ga katsu koto wa dekimasen shitte iru toki ni watashi o tatakai tsudzukeru. Sugu ni watashi wa jiyū ni nari, watashi no hason wa, kono sekai ga shōhi sa remasu." _The demon said.

"Watashi ga mae ni itta yō ni, watashi wa mada iki ga arimasenga." The man said before he planted his swords into the ground and began to formed hand signs again.

"Ancient Sealing Technique: Binding Chains of Light and Darkness Jutsu!" he said. His hands then began to glow gold and he picked up his swords. A huge gold chain appeared attaching both ends of his swords, he then ran at the demon dodging attack after attack. The demon surrounded it's body in the black and green fog and summoned eight ghostly versions of it's sword. Pointing at the man, the ghostly blades flew through the air straight at him. The man jumped from side to side as the swords continued to follow him. The man jumped and landed on one of the swords and rode it through the air, the seven remaining blades following. He steered the sword at the demon. Right as he was about to reach him, the man jumped off the blade and behind the demon samurai. All eight of the ghostly swords pierced the demon's chest, and the man spun around and slashed the demon with his swords.

"Seal!"

The golden chain started to wrap itself around the demon's body, binding it in the jutsu. The demon struggled to get free as the man walked up to it. The demon was able to break it's right arm free, and pointed at the man.

_"Anata wa, korega eien ni watashi o hoji shite inai koto o shitte iru. Osokare hayakare, watashi wa futatabi jiyū ni shutoku shimasu, to watashi wa saishūtekini anata no jinsei, hason ga kono sekai o kabā shite shūryō suru toki ni, anata to anata no awarena junjo de shōgai ga hassei shite imasu." _The demon said before it turned it's body into black and green fog and vanish.

The man stared at the spot where his enemy stood moments ago. Spinning his swords in his hands, he placed them in there sheaths on his left hip and started to walk towards Sakura and Hinata.

* * *

Sakura was desperately trying to treat Naruto's wound, but every time she tried to get close, the strange black substance tried to wrap itself around her wrist. Sakura was at a loss, she couldn't heal Naruto unless the black sludge was gone, and she didn't know how to remove it. Naruto began coughing up blood along with globs of black sludge. Sakura knew what this meant, Naruto was dying.

'Damn. This sludge is making it impossible to heal him. I don't want to believe it, but there's nothing I can do for him.' Sakura thought. She turned her gaze to Hinata, who was crying and shouting his name, begging him to come back to her. But all she got were groans of pain and the sight of the black sludge growing on his chest. Tears began to form in her eyes as well, her life was now slowly becoming a living hell. First she lost Sasuke, now she was going to lose her best friend and the brother she never had.

"Naruto, please don't die! Don't die! I cant lose you!" Hinata cried over and over, but getting no response. As the two began to cry harder they were greeted by a voice.

"This young man needs help."

The two girls turned around to see the man that saved them standing behind them.

"We know that, but I can't do anything. This black sludge is blocking the wound. I can't..." Sakura began to say, but the man cut her off.

"Move." he said as he knelled down in front of Naruto.

"What are you doing? Can you help him?" Hinata asked him frantically. He looked at her.

"Yes."


	5. Chapter 5

Sakura and Hinata watched as the man began to form hand signs. Both of them were praying that this man could save Naruto. Hinata didn't want to lose her love, and Sakura didn't want to add Naruto to her list of lost friends. The man stopped forming hand signs and started to flow chakra into his palms.

"Yang Style: White Lotus Purification Jutsu." The man said as his hands began to glow white. He place them on Naruto's wound and the two were amazed when they saw the man start to pull the black substance out of the wound. Naruto started to breathe normally and stopped coughing up blood. The color began to return to his face and he stopped having spastic movements. Their hopes were growing as the man healed Naruto. But they were still worried, they were wondering what was going on in his mind.

* * *

Naruto and Kurama continued to battle the monster, but nothing seemed to work. They had even used the Tailed-Beast Ball and had blown half of it's body apart, but it just regenerated and grew larger and more repulsive. They had used their most powerful and destructive attack and it did nothing. But that was the least of their problems. The longer they fought, the more they inched closer to death.

"I...I can't...can't keep...going." Naruto said, the pain could be heard in his voice. He fell to his knees and released his bijū mode. He could no longer fight, the pain was to great. Falling to the ground he groaned and clutched his chest, tears fell from his eyes as he began to drift into darkness. Kurama crawled over to Naruto and wrapped him in his tails. He summoned as much chakra as he could to keep them both alive. Unfortunately, he knew that it wouldn't do any good.

**'So...This is the end. Maybe I should've expected something like this, you always did find ways to put yourself in life or death situations. We've had quite the run together. We've had our ups and downs, mostly just downs. But, we got pass those didn't we. Naruto, I am glad that I can call you a...friend.' **A tear fell from Kurama's eye as he too drifted into darkness. The only other time he cried was when the Sage had passed, now he was going to lose his friend.

The creature began to close in on the two, it's intentions unknown. It lunged at them, slowly consuming them in darkness, but it suddenly stopped. A crack then formed on it's body, and a beam of light shined through. The beam of light covered Kurama's eyes and he slowly began to open them. He felt life returning to his body and his chakra returning. Lifting his head, he stared at the monster and saw more cracks forming on it's body and more beams of light shining through. As more of the beams hit his body, Kurama started feeding more chakra into Naruto's body. The creature's body started to disintegrate as the cracks became wider. When a huge portion of the creature's body disappeared, a pillar of light covered Kurama's body. The energy the light had given him allowed the fox to stand. The creature screeched in pain as it was being destroyed. The next thing Kurama knew a massive blast of light blinded him and the creature was ripped apart.

* * *

With a final pull, the man had removed the black sludge from the wound, reveling a massive gash that went from Naruto's shoulder to his hip. The man then brought his hands together creating a small flash of light. Opening his hands, Sakura and Hinata saw he now held a strange golden dust. The man then proceeded to pour the dust onto Naruto's body. Sakura and Hinata watched in amazement as the wound began to simply vanish.

They were caught of guard when Naruto's eyes shot open and he took in a huge gasp of air before he stopped moving. The man stood up and stepped back from Naruto, and Hinata rushed over to her boyfriend's body falling to her knees.

"Naruto?! Naruto can you hear me?!" She said.

"He can't answer you. He's alive but unconscious at the moment." the man said to them. Sakura quickly checked for a pulse and sure enough there was one.

"We need to get him to safety quick." Sakura said. The man nodded.

"I can take you all to my home, I will explain everything when he wakes up."

* * *

Naruto's eyes began to flutter open and he let out a soft grunt. As his vision became more focused he found that he was laying down in a room that looked to be the size of his old apartment. A few candles lit the room making it easy for his eyes to adjust. He started to move and tried to get up, but discovered something was holding him down. Turning his head, he saw a sleeping Hinata, her arms wrapped around his chest and holding him close. He smiled, she was a beautiful sight. He turned his body and faced her, wrapping his arms around her, he placed a small, soft kiss on her forehead before closing his eyes and stroked her head.

Hinata stirred as she felt something on her forehead. Opening her eyes, she saw that Naruto was now hugging her and stroking her head.

"Naruto?" She said in a soft, quiet voice. He opened his eyes and looked at her.

"Hey." Tears began to form in her eyes, she didn't even notice that he was asking her questions.

"What's going on? Where are we, Hina...!" He was cut off when Hinata crashed her lips on to his in a passionate kiss. He closed his eye and placed his hands on her cheeks. He felt the tears falling from her eyes run down his hands and he ran his thumbs across her face wiping them away. When they finally broke apart, Naruto held Hinata close while she cried.

"Shh..Shh. Its alright Hinata, its alright, I'm here." he told her. They remained like that for a while. Hinata then told him that Sakura needed to know that he was awake. She let go of him and stood up. Holding out her hand she helped him up and handed him his jacket. Sliding the door to the room open, she helped him down the hall until they reached another sliding door. Inside a much larger room was a table where Sakura sat. When she saw Naruto she immediately ran over and hugged him.

"Naruto! Oh, thank Kami you're alright." she said as he returned the hug not even noticing the other person in the room.

"I'm glad to see you're awake." Naruto looked at where the voice had come from and saw a man with shoulder length black hair who wore black robes and a white sleeveless coat siting on a mat by the table. He was holding a clay cup and sipping what Naruto assumed was tea.

"Um thanks. Uh who are you?" Naruto asked.

Hinata helped him to the table and told him that this man had saved them from that demon samurai and was the one who healed him.

"Your friend speaks the truth. In reality, you should be dead. But then again, Kurama isn't known as one to abandon his friends." The man said as he took another sip of his tea. Naruto was surprised to say the least.

"You know the Nine-tailed Fox's name?" The man nodded and continued to sip his tea.

"Of course, Kurama is one of the patron gods of the Order."

"Order? What Order?" Naruto asked. He and his friends were also confused, but the man did say he would explain things to them.

The man set his cup on the table and looked at them.

"The Order of the Six Paths."


	6. Chapter 6

Naruto had only heard the term "Six Paths" on a few occasions. When he first learned about the Sage of the Six Paths and when he fought the Six Paths of Pain. But he had never heard of the Order of the Six Paths. Now he was curious.

"I've never heard of the Order of the Six Paths, but I'm guessing that it has something to do with the Sage of the Six Paths." he said. The man nodded and began to drink his tea again, which was starting to annoy Naruto.

"You are correct, but before I start to explain I believe it is customary to know ones names." the man said to his three guests.

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki, Savior of the Ninja world." He said with a grin.

"My name is Sakura Haruno, Medical-nin." She said as she bowed her head.

"I am Hinata Hyūga, heiress of the Hyūga clan." She said as she too, bowed her head.

"A pleasure to meet you. My name is Masanori Yamimoto, I am leader of the Order of the Six Paths, as well as the last of the Yamimoto clan." Masanori said as he bowed his head. "Now, please if I can answer any questions you have, I am more than happy to oblige."

"Okay, what is the Order of the Six Paths?" Naruto asked.

"The Order of the Six Paths is an ancient order that was founded by the Sage of the Six Paths himself, with the sole purpose of protecting the world from evil and spreading his ideals of peace. My family the Yamimoto clan have been leading the order since its founding fore nearly twenty centuries." Masanori told them.

"Why was your family chosen to lead?"

"My family was chosen because we were a clan that valued peace and were firm believers in the Sage's dream. It was also due to our unique ability to speak with both spirits and demons."

Naruto was shocked at that last part. "You can speak with spirits and demons?"

"Yes, it is an ability that has existed since my clan was founded. Due to that ability we were able to use Yin and Yang chakra like the Sage. But we were never as good as him. You see spirits and demons were once at war with each other, but demons can't survive in the spirit realm, and spirits can't survive in the demon realm. So they come to the mortal realm to fight as the mortal realm is a neutral world. But, the Yamimoto clan was able to bring peace between spirit and demon. When the Sage saw this, he settled down in the village where he died."

"Wait, The Sage of the Six Paths lived in this village?!" Naruto said.

"Indeed he did, in fact you are all residing in his home at the moment."

The three ninjas jaws dropped. They were in the home of the first Shinobi, the Savior of the world, the father of ninjutsu. The three of them continued to marvel when they thought of something.

"Hold on, if this is the Sage's home then why wasn't it found earlier."

Masanori smirked. "Well its kind of hard to find a place when its in the spirit realm, now isn't it." He said before pouring himself some more tea. The three ninja just stared at him before they simultaneously yelled.

"WHAT?!" Masanori didn't even flinch at their outburst.

"The Sage preformed a jutsu that allowed him to transport his temple to the spirit realm as a way to protect his secrets. It was to ensure the safety of the world."

They calmed down but were still shocked that they were in the spirit realm. Masanori continued to tell them of the order and of his clan for a few more minutes before Naruto asked...

"So where are the other members of the order?"

Masanori fell silent and set his cup down.

"I am all that is left of the order, my brother was the last to fall to the hands of Oshoku." he told them. They could sense great pain in his voice and almost didn't want to ask their next question.

"Um...if you don't mind my asking...who is Oshoku?" Hinata asked. Masanori raised his head and sighed.

"Oshoku in your tongue, means Corruption." he told them.

"Corruption? Who or what is that?" Sakura asked.

"Corruption is both a who and a what. Oshoku is a Grand Demon, ones who are the embodiment of evil. Oshoku is the most powerful of them all. That was the being you three encountered earlier."

"You mean that Samurai guy was this Oshoku thing?" Naruto said. Masanori shook his head.

"No, that was one of Oshoku's Avatars. The real Oshoku is the sword the demon was holding." Masanori told them, much to their confusion.

"The sword? How is...let's just say "He" for arguments sake...How is he the sword?" Naruto asked. Masanori stood up and walked over to a katana mounted on the wall.

"Forgive me if I don't wish to answer that question. Oshoku is one of the Order's well kept secrets, and only high ranking members of the Order may know that information." He told them. Naruto was about to say something, when he saw Hinata shaking her head, so he dropped it.

"To answer the "what" part of your question, the black substance you all saw around the village, that is Oshoku's power given form."

"So that stuff that was in Naruto's wound, that was corruption?" Sakura asked. Masanori nodded. "So what is it exactly?"

"Imagine every sickness and disease merged together, then imagine actually feeling it spread through out your body, feeding off of your chakra and lifeforce until your very soul is sucked out and there is nothing left but a hollow body. Corruption is the ultimate parasite." he said. Sakura shuddered at the thought of being drained of everything. She looked at Naruto, and wondered what exactly he felt when he was under the power of corruption.

"If this corruption was what was on Naruto, is there any possibility it could come back?" asked Hinata, concern in her voice.

"It's possible, but unlikely, not even Corruption can survive in the Spirit realm, there's to much pure energy." Masanori reassured her.

Hinata sighed. 'Thank Kami, at least I don't have to worry about that.' She thought. They returned their attention to Masanori when they heard him clear his throat.

"Anyways, on to a small matter concerning you three." Masanori said as he walked back to the table and sat down. Naruto got a bit hostile at that moment.

"What do mean "a small matter" are you taking us hostage or something?" He asked, while watching Masanori's movements carefully.

"Why would I take you three hostage? Your village has nothing I want nor need. No, the matter concerns what your plans are."

"We were going to go back to the village and give our report to Lady Tsunade..." Sakura said. But she was cut off.

"I'm afraid you can't go back." he said before sipping at his tea again.

"What the hell do you mean we can't go back!" Naruto shouted as he stood up. Masanori ignored his outburst and continued.

"Well for one, I'm the only one who knows how to preform the ritual jutsu that brought you here. And two, I wish to test you three and see if you are all worthy to join the Order of the Six Paths."


	7. Chapter 7

The room fell into utter silence, the ninja's minds were clouded with disbelief. Questions ran through out their thoughts, busy contemplating what they had just been told. Had Masanori really just asked them to join the Order? Why would he ask them? Now they truly needed answers.

"You...You want us to join the Order?" Naruto asked. Masanori looked at the blonde ninja and nodded.

"Yes. I see great potential in you three, the Order doesn't accept just anyone."

Naruto looked at Sakura and Hinata, and saw that they too were unsure. He was deep in his thoughts, looking at all the options and consequences. While it would be incredible to join, what if this means they could never return to the Village?

"Do we have a choice?" He asked.

"Of course. If you don't want to accept then you may go. But, if you do accept, then you will remain here and I will teach you."

Naruto was still unsure. "If we accept, will we be able to go back to Kohonagakure?"

"Why wouldn't you be. Simply joining the Order doesn't mean you will be "abandoning" your village, you can go back after the training." Masanori told them.

The three ninjas looked at each other. By the looks on their faces, it told Naruto it was his call. Naruto knew he would have to make tough decisions, it came with being a leader. He thought about it for a few moment before finally coming to a decision.

"If my teammates are okay with it, then count us in." Naruto said as he and his friends bowed their heads.

Masanori smirked. "Very well. As Grand Master of the Order, I welcome you three into the Order of the Six Paths. Now you must be famished after your fight with Oshoku." He said as he stood up. "Please, follow me to the dining room, I will have a meal made then when you've had your fill you may retire to your chambers." He looked over at Naruto and Hinata.

"I assume you two would like a room together?" He asked. They both blushed a deep red. Hinata started to twiddle her fingers and Naruto rubbed the back of his neck.

"W-Why would you say that?" Naruto asked. Masanori let out a small chuckle.

"Well, based on the way you two act around one another, I can only assume that you and Lady Hinata are together. Plus, you talked about her in your sleep."

* * *

Naruto and Hinata walked down the hall on their way to their room, ready to get some well earned rest. Tomorrow they would begin their training and Masanori said they should get some rest.

"Man that was a great meal. These spirits sure are nice." Naruto said.

"They are." Hinata whispered. Right now her thoughts were elsewhere. Naruto looked at her.

"Are you okay Hinata? You've been awfully quiet since I woke up."

"Oh..yeah I'm fine." She said. Naruto could tell she was lying, but he decided he would drop it.

The couple had soon reached the room that Shigeki had given them. Sliding the door open, they both let out a small gasp and marveled at the room. To call this a room would be an understatement, it was more like a small house at least three of Naruto's old apartments in size. Walking in, they began to look around. The bathing room had a stone tub that looked like it could fit a small group, the kitchen and dinning area had a charcoal grill like at the BBQ in the Village. Dark red sheets covered the windows, and candles hung from the ceiling and on posts along the walls. Their eyes fell on the large bed on the far end of the room.

The bed was large enough for the both of them, and just the sight of it made Naruto want to flop down on his back. The red sheets and pillows were thick as wool but soft as silk.

"Wow, This place is amazing." Naruto said out loud. He was completely in awe of this place, Hinata on the other hand, she was focused on something else. She started to make her way over to Naruto, her concerns for his safety taking over.

Naruto saw her and turned to face her. "Man, isn't this place incredible Hinata?" he asked her. But he got no response from her, she wasn't even looking at him. He gently placed his hands on her arms, but she still wasn't looking at him.

"Hinata? Are you okay?" He asked. Then to his surprise, she pulled him into a deep hug and started to cry. Naruto wrapped his arms around her and stroked her long, raven colored hair.

"Hey, hey. What's wrong? Why are you crying, Hinata?" He asked as they sat on the end of the bed.

Hinata tried her best to talk to him, but her words came out broken.

"I-I was so *sniff* worried about you. *sniff* I...I thought that I had...had lost you. When Oshoku struck you and you were covered in that corruption, *sniff sniff* I thought you were gone...I was so scared." She continued to cry into his chest as he stroked her hair. Resting his chin on her head, he breathed in her scent. The distinct aroma of lavender filled his senses and he became intoxicated. He continued to breath in her smell, and stroke her hair. Her crying had lightened and he moved a hand to her face, lifting her chin up.

"Hinata, please stop crying. You know how much it hurts me to see you cry." He told her as he looked into her eyes.

"I...I'm sorry...its just...the thought of losing you..."

"You have nothing to be sorry about. If anyone should be saying sorry, it should be me. I'm so sorry for scaring you like that. I was suppose to be a good leader, but when I saw that cloud coming at you, my damn attitude took over and in the end it almost got me killed again." he said in a soft and gentle tone.

"Naruto, you were protecting us and being the hero you always are. You shouldn't be sorry for being a leader and protecting your squad. But, its just the thought of losing you..." Naruto cut her off at that moment.

"Hinata, do you remember what I said to you when we started dating?" He asked. She looked at him and nodded.

"You said that you would always protect me..."

"...And that I would never leave you or hurt you in any way. When I was fighting that corruption, I thought that I was going to die, and that I was going to break my promise to you. Hinata, I love you and I'll never stop loving you." He wiped the tears from her face and smiled.

"Oh Naruto, I love you so much."

They leaned towards each other and captured the others lips in a passionate kiss. Naruto rested his hands on her hips and deepened the kiss, while Hinata's hands made their way to the zipper of his jacket. Naruto felt his jacket beginning to loosen and started to pull his arms out of the sleeves. After throwing it on the ground, he began to do the same to Hinata and slid it down her shoulders reveling her fishnet shirt. Hinata leaned into Naruto making him fall onto the bed. Their kissing became more passionate as their tongues began to wrestle and their hand explored each others bodies. Naruto rolled her onto her back and continued to caress her lips before moving down her neck, nipping at her smooth skin.

"Oh...Naruto..." Hinata moaned in pleasure. But it was at that moment she felt his hand moving under her shirt.

"Naruto, wait." He stopped what he was doing and looked at her, then noticing where his hands were. Quickly he pulled them out from under her shirt.

"Hinata, I was just caught up in the moment, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable." She blushed and looked away, a small grin on her face.

"No, its just...I liked it, but..."

"You don't know if its the right time." He finished for her. She nodded.

Naruto placed a hand on her cheek and looked into her eyes. "Hinata, I love you, and I'd never want to do this with anyone else. But, if you don't feel we should..." Hinata placed a finger on his mouth.

"I feel the same way Naruto, I just needed to hear you say it too."

He smiled before leaning in and capturing her lips again and throwing the covers over them.


	8. Chapter 8

Light entered through the covered window and fell on the naked forms of a sleeping Naruto and Hinata. The sheets hugged their bodies as they held one another in a loving embrace. Hinata's head rested on Naruto's bare chest and continued to rise and fall with each breath he took. Naruto's arms were wrapped around her in a way that showed he didn't want to let her go. As the light fell on his eyes, he slowly started to awaken.

'Morning already? Man, what a night.'

Yawning, he opened his eyes only to see Hinata in his arms. A smile spread across his face as he remembered what had happened last night. He and Hinata had made love, they had taken that huge step forward in their relationship, although he knew this would cause problems with her father, he could honestly care less. As he began to wake up fully, he remembered Hinata was still asleep. He then got an idea, he gently moved Hinata's head from his chest and placed a soft kiss on her lips. As if on instinct, she began to return the kiss and awaken as well. When they finally parted, she opened her eyes to the sight of her boyfriend looking at her.

"Morning." He said. She smiled.

"Morning. You sleep well?" She asked.

"Yeah. You?"

"I did. I'm just a little sore." She told him, a bit embarrassed by her answer. He gave a light chuckle. "I wonder why." he joked, earning him a flick on the nose.

"I really enjoyed last night." She said.

"Me too...believe it or not, I don't really want to train today. I just want to lay here with you." He said. She sighed.

"So do I, but Sakura would be mad if we make her train by herself." They chuckled, knowing that it was true.

Not wanting to keep her or Masanori waiting, they got out of bed and collected their clothes not even embarrassed by the fact they were both still naked. Once they were dressed, they headed to the dinning room. Naruto slid the door open, and the two were greeted by Masanori, who was sitting at the table and eating.

He looked up when he heard the door open and was surprised to see Naruto and Hinata.

"Good morning." He said to them and motioning for them to join him. The two smiled and sat down across from him. They saw that there was more food than he could probably eat, they assumed that the extra food was for them.

"You're both up early. Please, help yourselves."

"Thank you." The three of them sat and ate and started talking.

"So, Naruto. I must ask what has been happening in the mortal realm as of late? How are the other Tailed-spirits?" Masanori asked.

"Tailed-spirits? In the mortal realm, their called Tailed-beasts. Their considered demons by pretty much everyone."

Masanori stopped eating. "Beasts? Demons? Then it seems people have truly forgotten what the Sage did." The sound of disappointment and frustration was evident in his voice.

"A group called the Akatsuki tried to resurrect the Ten-Tails too." Naruto added.

Masanori was shocked by this. "What?! How!?" Naruto and Hinata then began to tell him about the Akatsuki's plan, and Naruto's encounter with the Rinnegan. Masanori listened closely to the tale, thinking over every detail knowing that it was true. But, both Naruto and Hinata were caught off guard after they told him of the other Tailed-spirit's deaths. To their surprise, he laughed.

"What's so funny?" Naruto asked confused. Masanori calmed down and started to explain.

"What's funny, is that people actually believe that the Tailed-spirits can die. Their bodies may be made out of chakra, but they all have a soul too. From what you told me, only their chakra was used to resurrect the Ten-Tails. When a Tailed-spirit's chakra is gone, it's soul returns to the Spirit realm and starts gathering Yin and Yang chakra to construct a new body. They'll return to the mortal realm when they have a new body."

"Really? Wow, that's cool. Guess Madara or Obito didn't know that." Naruto said.

"Madara? You mean Madara Uchiha?" Masanori asked.

"Yeah, you know who he is?"

"Know him. I fought him and defeated him." Their jaws dropped.

"You're kidding! Okay, this I have to hear!" Naruto said as he practically begged to hear the story.

"Very well. This was many years ago. At that time, the village was deserted long before the first war. Madara came to the village hoping to discover the Sage's secrets and attempt to take control of Oshoku." Masanori told them. "He thought he could control the power of corruption and use it as a weapon."

"Let me guess. Not possible?"

"You would be correct. Many have tried to control Oshoku's power, they think they could become his master, in reality they ended up becoming the slave. Even the most powerful of men fall to him. But, Madara was different, and by that I mean he was the most ignorant of all the men before him. It was his ignorance that made him lose. He used every Justu he had and when each failed he got more angry. He finally used his Mangekyō Sharingan after about four hours of fighting. It didn't help him, I admit it was difficult but I had Shinkō and Kibō at my side." He said as he looked at his swords.

"You named your swords?"

"I'll explain that when we start your training. Anyways, thanks to them I was able to sever the arms of his Susanoo. He also became the first victim of my Chaos Style."

"How did you deal with the Tsukuyomi and the Amaterasu?"

"By using my sage mode actually. While in my sage mode I can use more powerful versions of my clan's techniques, Spirit and Demon arts we call them. In that mode I can quickly pass through the Spirit and Mortal realms, that helped me dodge the Amaterasu. As for the Tsukuyomi, I am also able to resist the effects of Genjutsu. But there are drawbacks, one of which is after I have used sage mode my chakra network completely shuts down for a time. About three days to a whole week depending on how much chakra I used."

"And your other jutsus?"

"I'll explain that later as well. Its not that bad anymore. I have spent over three hundred years perfecting my jutsus, so know that when I tell you that my battle with Madara was the one of the hardest of my life, you had better believe me."

Masanori saw that they were just staring at him. "What?"

"Three hundred years?! How are you still alive?!" Naruto yelled.

"Time in the spirit realm is different than it is in the mortal realm. It would be to hard to explain so you should probably drop it before you hurt yourself." Masanori joked.

"Yeah maybe you're rig...Hey what do you mean "hurt myself"?!" It was at that moment that the door slid opened and Sakura walked in.

"I thought I heard people talking and Naruto yelling." She said as she joined the group.

They filled in Sakura on what they were told and finished their breakfast. Masanori then stood up and walked over to the door.

"Now. If you are all finished, we can begin training. Meet me in the training grounds out front in a few minutes and bring your gear." He told them. The three of them stood up and headed back to their rooms. But when Sakura was out of ear shot, Masanori stopped Naruto and Hinata.

"So I take it you two had a "fun" night together?" He said with a smirk. Hinata blushed in surprise and Naruto froze.

"How-How did you?"

"I didn't. Until just now. But don't worry, your sex lives don't concern me in the slightest." and with that Masanori walked out of the room, leaving Naruto and Hinata in a uncomfortable state.

Naruto turned to Hinata. "Let's pretend that didn't happen. Okay?"

"Agreed." They then headed back to their room.


	9. Chapter 9

The three Leaf ninjas stared in amazement at the sight before them. Across the pink sky floated many fog like clouds, among the clouds were glowing white spirits flying through the sky. All around the courtyard they felt the pure energy of the spirit realm flow through out their bodies. As they gazed out on the horizon, something caught their eyes. In the distance, they saw the outline of the village, but the spirits there were black and on the ground.

"Those are the spirits of people that are trapped by Oshoku's power." They turned to see Masanori standing next to them with a sad and pained look on his face. The three ninja just stared at him studying his expression. Finally, Naruto decided to ask.

"Is...Is there any way to safe them?"

Masanori didn't look at him. He just kept staring at the corrupted spirits in the distance. He closed his eyes and sighed. "I hope so."

They were all quiet for a long time. But after a while Masanori finally spoke.

"We should begin your training. Focusing on what we can or can't do for those spirits is not something you three should concern yourselves with right now." Masanori said before walking away from the edge. The three ninja looked at one another and then looked back at the village. They followed Masanori to the center of the courtyard and waited for him to speak.

"What you three are about to receive will be the most brutal training you could possibly endure. I will give you one last chance if you wish to back out." He said. They said nothing and stood their ground having no notion to back out. Masanori looked at them and a smirk crossed his face.

"Good. This isn't what you would call traditional training. I won't always be able to monitor your progress. So when I am unavailable you three will be teaching each other what you know. Hinata may teach you of better chakra control or Sakura may teach you basic medical ninjutsu. You will also have one on one training sessions with me, you especially Naruto given Kurama. Do you understand?"

The three nodded. "Yes, Sensei."

"Good. Now first we will practice Taijutsu. The three of you will have thirty seconds to form an attack plan and find a hiding spot. After which, you will have to try and take me down. You can't use any weapons or chakra based techniques save for you, Hinata." Masanori explained before turning his back to them.

"Oh and by the way, your thirty seconds started fifteen seconds ago." Masanori said. Turning his head, he smiled when he saw that no one was there.

'And now its just a matter of time.'

* * *

Naruto and the others were quick to form a plan and take advantage of their remaining time. The plan was simple but clever. First, he would attempt an attack from behind. While Masanori was distracted with him, Sakura and Hinata would attack him from both sides. It wasn't a perfect plan, but at least they had one. As they waited, they moved along the roofs always keeping an eye on the target.

Naruto watched as Masanori walked around the courtyard. The way he was walking looked like he was relaxed but alert, just waiting for one of them to strike. Naruto continued to wait as Masanori got closer to his position. As soon as his back was turned, Naruto made his move. Naruto jumped from the roof and ran at Masanori ready to land a punch. Naruto was unprepared when Masanori spun to the side and grabbed him by the wrist. Naruto then felt his arm getting twisted right as Masanori kicked him in the chest. Masanori then grabbed Naruto's leg and flipped the blond teen forward and onto his back. Naruto groaned in pain, he had never felt a blow that powerful before, not even from Sakura or Tsunade.

At the moment Naruto was pined to the ground, Sakura and Hinata rushed from hiding. Sakura had reached Masanori first and tried punch him as well. But, Masanori dodged and put her in a half-nelson before delivering a knee to her gut before swiping her off her feet and tossing her over him and onto her back as well. He turned to see Hinata attempt to land a flying kick. Masanori moved to the side and grabbed Hinata's ankle before grabbing her by the throat and slamming her onto her back as well.

Masanori released his grip on Hinata and turned to look at his students, only to see Naruto's fist coming at him. Masanori ducked and grabbed Naruto's wrist and forcing his arm behind his back and putting his other arm in a half-nelson and forced him to his knees. Naruto struggled to get free but stopped when he felt something sharp against his throat. Looking down he saw that in Masanori's hand was a custom kunai.

"I thought you said no weapons?"

"I said you couldn't use weapons. I never said I wouldn't use them." Masanori answered. He released Naruto and placed his kunai on a belt around his thigh. Naruto helped Sakura and Hinata to their feet and turned to look at Masanori.

"You have just learned two lessons. First, never underestimate your opponent. You can never know if your enemy is armed or how skilled they are. And second, when faced in hand to hand combat, defense is better than offense. Many think that if you land the first punch you have the fight won, they are wrong. I hope you saw that I was always on the defensive but I also was able to fight." Masanori walked away and near the edge and preformed some hand signs.

"Earth Style: Stone spire jutsu." He said before punching the ground and cause three massive rocks burst from the ground. Masanori walked back over to them. "We have a lot of work to do. Your first task is simple, using only taijutsu each of you must turn one of those rocks into gravel."

Naruto and the others just looked in disbelief. Was Masanori serious?! They knew that this training was going to be tough, but turn a freaking bolder into gravel?! They were brought back to reality when they saw Masanori walking away.

"Oh and until all three of those are gravel none of you are allowed to sleep or eat and drink. And none of you can increase your strength with chakra." Now they were in udder shock.

"Are you serious?!" Naruto asked. Masanori looked at them.

"If you want to continue your training than you must do what I say."

Naruto groaned in defeat. Masanori walked into his home and the three of them walked over to the boulders.

"Well guys, guess we better get started."


End file.
